English Standard Version
Deuteronomy 15:17
17then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave forever. And to your female slave you shall do the same.
Deuteronomy 15:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then thou shalt take an aul, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.
- New International Version (NIV)then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant.
- New King James Version (NKJV)then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise.
- New Living Translation (NLT)In that case, take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door. After that, he will be your servant for life. And do the same for your female servants.
Context of Deuteronomy 15:17
15You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today. 16But if he says to you, 'I will not go out from you,' because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you, then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave forever. And to your female slave you shall do the same. 18It shall not seem hard to you when you let him go free from you, for at half the cost of a hired worker he has served you six years. So the Lord your God will bless you in all that you do. 19"All the firstborn males that are born of your herd and flock you shall dedicate to the Lord your God. You shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock.
Read all of Deuteronomy 15Deuteronomy 15:17 word by word
וְלָקַחְתָּ֣ אֶת־הַמַּרְצֵ֗עַ וְנָתַתָּ֤ה בְאָזְנוֹ֙ וּבַדֶּ֔לֶת וְהָיָ֥ה לְךָ֖ עֶ֣בֶד עוֹלָ֑ם וְאַ֥ף לַאֲמָתְךָ֖ תַּעֲשֶׂה־כֵּֽן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then thou shalt takeלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- an aulמַרְצֵעַmartsêa‛ · awlH4836
- and thrustנָתַןnâthan · to give: putH5414
- through his earאֹ֫זֶן'ôzen · earH241
- unto the doorדֶּ֫לֶתdeleth · doorH1817
- and he shall be thy servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- for everעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: enduringH5769
- And also unto thy maidservantאָמָה'âmâh · maidservantH519
- thou shalt doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 15:17
- Leviticus 25:39"If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave:
- 1 Samuel 1:22But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever."
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 15:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Thou shalt take an awl - See the note on Exodus 21:6.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15-18Verses 15-18 The commands here are repeated from Exodus 21:2-6, with amplifications relative to the maidservant Deuteronomy 15:12 and to the making (Deuteronomy 15:13 ff) liberal provision for launching the freedman on an independent course of life. The release of the servant is connected with the sabbatical principle though not with the sabbatical year. It is noteworthy also that the prospect of a gift of this sort, the amount of which was left to the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-18Verses 12-18 Here the law concerning Hebrew servants is repeated. There is an addition, requiring the masters to put some small stock into their servants' hands to set up with for themselves, when sent out of their servitude, wherein they had received no wages. We may expect family blessings, the springs of family prosperity, when we make conscience of our duty to our family relations. We are to remember that we are debtors to Divine justice, and have…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17pierce it through his ear: Piercing the servant’s ear was a public sign. It showed that the bondservant had chosen to serve his master for life. This mark identified him as permanently belonging to that household. Some believe this background may help explain Paul’s words, “I bear on my body the marks of Jesus” (Galatians 6:17).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 16-1716-17. if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee--If they declined to avail themselves of the privilege of release and chose to remain with their master, then by a peculiar form of ceremony they became a party to the transaction, voluntarily sold themselves to their employer, and continued in his service till death.Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 15:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 15
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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